Mom, I’m fine: Last words of 6yr old Palestinian boy killed in suspected hate crime in America
"Mom, I'm fine."
These were the last words of a six-year-old Muslim boy stabbed to death in a suspected hate crime over the weekend.
As mourners gathered at the Mosque Foundation in the Chicago suburb of Bridgeview on Tuesday, the final moments of Wadea al-Fayoume came to light.
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Police have said that Wadea al-Fayoume was attacked because he was Muslim.
The family's landlord – a 71-year-old Joseph Czuba – has been charged by a court with the boy's murder.
According to the BBC, the 71-year-old was allegedly upset about the Israel-Hamas war.
Wadea's mother, 32-year-old Hanaan Shahin, was also seriously injured in the attack, unable to attend her son's funeral as she recovers in hospital.
"I'm shocked but I'm not surprised," Sadia Nawab, a mother-of-three who lives near the mosque, told the BBC.
"We're worried about our children, and more worried about the powerless kids around the world that are in Palestine now, that are in Gaza."
Meanwhile, it has been reported that special precautions have been taken in local schools.
Wadea al-Fayoume and his mother lived in two rented rooms in the house owned by Czuba.
Czuba had even come to Wadea's birthday only a few days ago.
Speaking to the BBC, the family spokesperson Yousef Hannon said, "He [Czuba] was friendly to the whole family, but especially to the kid, who he treated like a grandson. He brought him gifts, he brought him some toys."
Another uncle, Mohmoud Yousef, said, "When he [Wadea] was stabbed his last words to his mom were, 'Mom, I'm fine.' You know what, he is fine. He's in a better place."
His mother responded to him with "Let's pray for peace.
